Austrian Supplier Secures Order For 1,864 Miles Of Aluminum Cabling For Model 3

Tesla uses electromagnetically shielded aluminum cable to connect its battery packs to its electric motors. A recent substantial supply order for the material could be yet another indication that the automaker is definitely on track with the Model 3.

Update: As asked of us, the name of the Austrian company has been removed from the story

Tesla Model 3 – Image Via Larry Wu

An Austrian supplier has reported that it is filling an order from Tesla for 1,864 miles (3,000 km) of aluminum cabling. According to company co-owner (name removed), the cable is:

“a shielded aluminum cable with silicone cable [that provide] the power supply between the [battery] and the electric motor.”

Tesla has never worked with the Austrian supplier in the past, but was apparently impressed with its offering. The cable produced is lighter and less expensive than previously used materials. It is a very important component for EVs, because it allows for the “safe” flow of current between vehicle’s two primary components.

There is no way to know for sure how many Model 3 sedans that this length of cable will satisfy. While, according to CEO Elon Musk, the Model 3 uses less than a mile (1.5 km) of total wiring, the shielded aluminum portion is only a short piece from the battery to the motor. So, this could conceivably be enough to outfit several thousand … if not tens of thousands of cars.

The company (name removed) announced the contract on the company’s Facebook page, and are very excited about future prospects of supplying Tesla. Due to the tight time constraints, and Tesla’s reputation regarding suppliers, getting on board with the electric automaker is a true accomplishment. This also proves that Tesla is, in fact, still securing new suppliers, and has viable “new” options available in the event that something doesn’t go as planned.

This massive order was only the beginning of Tesla’s intention to work with the company (name removed). The deal is reportedly worth about $5.4 million, and will come in multiple installments. The supplier, having only worked with large traditional automakers in the past (Ford and Chrysler), will have to assure that it can keep up with Tesla’s stringent expectations, in order to keep the contract in good standing.

I do not understand why Tesla didn’t use one of the many large Cable manufacturers in the USA. Isn’t the Model 3 supposed to be ~95% domestic? I am biased, especially since there is one of these plants close to me. Regardless it is frustrating to hear how much outsourcing is being done. (no, not a trump thing)

I do not understand why Tesla didn’t use one of the many large Cable manufacturers in the USA. Isn’t the Model 3 supposed to be ~95% domestic? I am biased, especially since there is one of these plants close to me. Regardless it is frustrating to hear how much outsourcing is being done. (no, not a trump thing)
update: They do have some type of facility in MI, USA.

This is a highly specialized item, not only shielded but able to transmit a lot of electricity.

Do you know for a fact there is an American company that makes a comparable product?

America produces a lot of steel but highly specialized steel used by American industry usually comes from Luxembourg or Sweden. With the very cheap stuff coming from Asia and Latin America the USA producers usually target 80% of the market in the middle.

Looking at the product line up for General Cable makes me think they can make pretty much any wiring product imaginable. From hook-up wire to HVDC transmission cable. RSCC in Windsor Locks, CT was making large power cables for a nuclear reactor installation overseas. (I worked there)
I google mapped G&G in MI. If the map is correct, this is only a small office. Certainly not a manufacturing facility. I’d guess we’re simply not competitive on price.

Saw this story a few days ago with the headline of: Tesla Model 3: supplier says it received an order for 3,000 km of ‘shielded aluminum cables’ from Tesla.
Why did you feel the need to change to Miles??

Because the vast majority of InsideEVs’ readers are Americans, and all too many of my fellow countrymen who see metric units used in the title of an article think “This article isn’t intended for me”. They think it’s either a technical article or one aimed at an overseas market.

It’s pretty standard for American editors to convert metric units to Imperial units for articles aimed at the general public. I’m not saying that’s good practice; I’d love to see the USA adopt the metric system. But it’s the industry standard in American publishing.

You can’t necessarily tell how many of the zeros are significant in “3000”. The length could be written as 3×10~3 km, or alternately 3 megameters, in which case there would be only 1 significant digit. But it’s safe to say that the 3 following zeroes are significant though since kilometer is the normally used unit of length for this range of distances. Therefore, the proper conversion using 4 significant digits is 1864 miles.

Well said. Quite WHY the rest of the world 7 billion can use the “Metric” system [which is not the correct name- it is the S.I. or ‘Systeme Internationale’ of units- not just linear, but ALL scientific units], yet a tiny 300 million Americans can’t is beyond ludicrous.
Recall many years ago two Mars landers crashed because a small error in conversion [km-miles] was made by NASA?

Nor is the U.S. actually still using the Imperial system of weights & measures. For example, American gallons do not equal Imperial gallons. But if I had written “USCS vs. S.I.”, how many readers here would have been able to decipher that? (USCS = Unites States Customary System)

As is the case with whether or not American editors convert metric… sorry, S.I. …units to American Standard units for publishing, it’s best to write (and edit) for your intended audience. InsideEV’s ain’t a technical journal!

“A recent substantial supply order for the material could be yet another indication that the automaker is definitely on track with the Model 3.”

Umm, no. Wire is needed for any electric car. It’s quite possibly the safest material to commit to buying in advance. Everything about the design could change, but you’d still need the wire. And, tellingly, no delivery schedule is specified.

What’s next? Getting excited when Tesla has locked in a supplier for tires?

Why didn’t they buy cables in the USA? The Model 3 squeezes every dollar. So perhaps they are simply the lowest bidder with lightweight shielding.

Why is it both cheap and good? A guess: I used to work for some defense contractors and when we wanted to impress a new client, we often bid at COST or under to get a relationship going, we did this when we saw the potential to expand the contract to huge business in 2 or 3 years and turn it profitable. Its a smart way to get your foot in the door – almost anywhere! (Some newbies do it, to break into a new job in a tight closed shop, for example some Hollywood union guilds. Some are even work the first job for free, to get the experience, while waiting tables, or even making porn films, etc. on the side. Once they have the job secured, adios freebies.

This may be going on with new contracting for Tesla (not porn, just legal work done at cost or less the first year or two).

Battery to the motor? Or more likely battery to the Inverter. My motorcycle and my ev conversion both have short cables from the invertor to the motor also but i’m guessing since the Tesla motor is so close to the inverter they may just use bus bars or something similar. There is defintely NOT any cable going from the battery directly to the motor though. Im sure there is probably 2 or 3 feet of cable (positive and negative) from the battery pack to the inverter.

It’s fairly common, even in technically oriented discussions of EV tech, to use the term “the motor” to include both the actual motor and the “integrated motor controller” which includes the inverter.

Personally I wish it was the general rule to keep a clear distinction made between the actual motor and the PEM (Power Electronics Module, which includes the inverter), but usually there isn’t. This does sometimes lead to confusion, particularly in discussions of the efficiency of “the motor” when generally what they actually mean is the efficiency of the PEM.